World Chess Championship facts for kids

Gukesh Dommaraju of India, the current world champion (2024)

The World Chess Championship is a special event that decides who is the best chess player in the world. The current world champion is Gukesh Dommaraju from India. He won the title in 2024 by beating the previous champion, Ding Liren.

The first chess event officially called a "world championship" happened in 1886. In that match, Wilhelm Steinitz played against Johannes Zukertort. Steinitz won, becoming the first official world champion. From 1886 to 1946, the champion decided how and when they would defend their title. Challengers had to find money and beat the champion to take their place.

After the champion Alexander Alekhine passed away in 1946, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) took over. FIDE started organizing the championship, beginning with a tournament in 1948. From 1948 to 1993, FIDE held tournaments and matches every three years to find a challenger for the world champion.

However, before the 1993 match, the champion Garry Kasparov and his challenger Nigel Short decided to leave FIDE. They created their own group called the Professional Chess Association. This led to two different world champions for 13 years! FIDE had its own champion, Anatoly Karpov, while Kasparov was the other. The titles finally came back together in 2006. Since 2014, the championship happens every two years, usually in even-numbered years. The 2020 and 2022 matches were moved to 2021 and 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The championship returned to its normal schedule in 2024.

Emanuel Lasker held the world champion title for the longest time, 27 years! He also shares the record for most championship wins (six) with Kasparov and Karpov. While the world championship is open to everyone, there are also special championships for women, players under 20, and other age groups. There are also world championships for different types of chess, like fast chess and computer chess.

History of the World Chess Championship
How the Championship Works
World Champions
Other World Chess Championships
See also

History of the World Chess Championship

Early Chess Masters (Before 1886)

The First Strong Players

A picture of the chess match between Howard Staunton and Pierre Saint-Amant in 1843.

Modern chess started in Spain in the 1400s, but the rules changed a bit until the late 1800s. Before Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort in the late 19th century, no one truly claimed to be the "world champion." People sometimes used the phrase to describe the best players of their time. Some historians even look back and call players from the 1600s, like Gioachino Greco, the best of their era.

In 1764, a book said that the French player François-André Danican Philidor was "supposed to be the best Chess-player in the world." Philidor wrote a very popular chess book and showed off his amazing ability to play chess blindfolded. However, some players at the time doubted his ideas.

François-André Danican Philidor, thought to be the best player in the late 1700s.

Alexandre Deschapelles, believed to be the best player in the early 1800s.

In the early 1800s, Alexandre Deschapelles from France was generally seen as the strongest player. Later, Louis de la Bourdonnais from France and Alexander McDonnell from England became the top players. La Bourdonnais visited England in 1825 and won many games against other masters.

La Bourdonnais and McDonnell played a long series of matches in 1834. These matches were the first to be properly recorded, and they looked a lot like later world championship matches. La Bourdonnais won most of the games.

Louis de la Bourdonnais, the world's strongest player from 1821 to 1840.

Howard Staunton, generally seen as the world's top player in the 1840s.

After La Bourdonnais passed away in 1840, the English player Howard Staunton beat another French player, Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant, in 1843. This win made Staunton known as the strongest player, especially in England and France. The term "World Champion" was first used in 1845 to describe Staunton.

The Rise of International Tournaments (1851-1886)

Adolf Anderssen, who won three big international tournaments and was often seen as the world's top player in the mid-1800s.

Paul Morphy, who was much better than his opponents during his short chess career. He stopped playing chess at age 21 in 1859.

A very important event was the London 1851 chess tournament. This was the first international chess tournament ever. It was organized by Staunton and won by the German player Adolf Anderssen. Anderssen's win made him the leading player in the world.

However, Anderssen was clearly beaten in a match in 1858 by the American player Paul Morphy. Morphy played matches against many top players in 1858-59 and beat them all. Some people at the time called him the world champion. But Morphy suddenly stopped playing chess in 1859, even though many still thought he was the champion until he died in 1884.

After Morphy retired, Anderssen was again seen as the strongest active player. He proved this by winning the strong London 1862 chess tournament. In 1866, Wilhelm Steinitz narrowly beat Anderssen in a match. Steinitz then showed he was the world's leading player by winning the London 1872 tournament and beating Johannes Zukertort in a match that same year.

Steinitz didn't play much competitive chess between 1873 and 1882. During this time, Zukertort became the world's leading active player. He won the London 1883 chess tournament by a large margin, with Steinitz finishing second. This tournament showed that Steinitz and Zukertort were the two best players. This led to their famous match in 1886, which Steinitz won.

There's some discussion about when Steinitz officially became world champion. Some say it was after he beat Anderssen in 1866, while others say it was after his win over Zukertort in 1886. The 1886 match was definitely called the "world championship." Many modern experts say Steinitz had an "unofficial" reign from 1866 to 1886, and an "official" one after 1886.

Champions Before FIDE (1886–1946)

Wilhelm Steinitz's Reign (1886–1894)

Wilhelm Steinitz was a dominant chess player from 1866 to 1894. Some say he was World Champion from 1866, others from 1886.

After the Steinitz–Zukertort match, a tradition began. The world championship was decided by a match between the current champion and a challenger. If a player felt strong enough, they would find money to support a match and challenge the champion. If they won, they became the new champion.

Steinitz successfully defended his title against Mikhail Chigorin in 1889, Isidor Gunsberg in 1891, and Chigorin again in 1892.

In the late 1880s and early 1890s, two strong young players appeared: Siegbert Tarrasch and Emanuel Lasker. Lasker was able to get the money needed to challenge Steinitz. Lasker won their 1894 match and became the new world champion.

Emanuel Lasker's Long Reign (1894–1921)

Emanuel Lasker was World Champion for 27 years, from 1894 to 1921. This is the longest reign of any World Champion.

Lasker held the title for 27 years, which is the longest time for any champion. He won a rematch against Steinitz in 1897. Then he didn't defend his title for ten years. After that, he played four title defenses in four years. He easily beat Frank Marshall in 1907 and Siegbert Tarrasch in 1908.

In 1910, he almost lost his title in a very close match against Carl Schlechter. Later in 1910, he defeated Dawid Janowski in a very one-sided match.

Lasker's talks for title matches after 1911 were very controversial. He asked for a lot of money and suggested new rules. For example, a match would be a draw if neither player had a two-game lead. This was different from past matches where the first to win a certain number of games won.

In 1920, Lasker gave up his title to José Raúl Capablanca because of public criticism. Some people questioned if Lasker had the right to choose his successor. Capablanca argued that if the champion gave up the title, it should go to the challenger. Lasker later agreed to play a match against Capablanca in 1921. Capablanca won their 1921 match easily, with four wins, ten draws, and no losses.

Capablanca, Alekhine, and Euwe (1921–1946)

José Raúl Capablanca was World Champion from 1921 to 1927. He suggested the "London Rules" for future matches.

Alexander Alekhine was World Champion from 1927 to 1935 and again from 1937 until he passed away in 1946. He is the only champion to die while holding the title.

After his match with Lasker, Capablanca created new rules for future championship challenges, called the "London Rules." These rules said the champion had to defend their title once a year. The match would be won by the first player to win six or eight games, and the prize money had to be at least £1,000. Many top players agreed to these rules.

The only match played under these rules was Capablanca versus Alexander Alekhine in 1927. Before this match, most people thought Alekhine had no chance against the strong Cuban champion. But Alekhine surprised everyone. He used his strong drive and deep study of chess openings to beat Capablanca. Alekhine's aggressive style and tactical skills made the games very complicated.

After winning, Alekhine said he would give Capablanca a rematch if Capablanca met the "London Rules" requirements. But negotiations for a rematch went on for years and often failed. Alekhine easily won two title matches against Efim Bogoljubov in 1929 and 1934. In 1935, Alekhine was surprisingly beaten by the Dutch player Max Euwe, who was a math teacher. Alekhine convincingly won a rematch in 1937. World War II then stopped any more world title matches, and Alekhine remained champion until he passed away in 1946.

How Matches Were Paid For

Before 1948, world championship matches were set up privately by the players. This meant players had to find money, often from people who wanted to bet on them. In the early 1900s, this made it hard to arrange matches. Sometimes, challenges were delayed or didn't happen because players couldn't raise enough money.

At first, both players and their supporters contributed equally to the prize money. For example, the 1886 match between Steinitz and Zukertort was for £400 per side. But Emanuel Lasker started the practice of demanding that the challenger provide all the money. His successors followed this idea until World War II. This made it even harder to arrange matches. For instance, Marshall challenged Lasker in 1904 but couldn't get the money until 1907.

FIDE Takes Over (1948–1993)

FIDE and the Search for a New Champion

Description: Max Euwe
Title: Max Euwe 1963
Credit: [1] Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANEFO), 1945-1989, Nummer toegang 2.24.01.05 Bestanddeelnummer 915-8814
Author: Harry Pot
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 nl
License: CC BY-SA 3.0 nl
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en
Attribution Required?: Yes Attempts to create an international chess group started as early as 1914. On July 20, 1924, players at the Paris tournament founded FIDE. FIDE wanted to help manage the world championship. They liked the "London Rules" but thought the $10,000 prize money rule was too much.

In 1937, Max Euwe suggested that if he kept his title, FIDE should manage how future challengers were chosen. FIDE had been trying to create rules for this since 1935. The Royal Dutch Chess Federation suggested a big tournament (called AVRO) with former champions and rising stars to pick the next challenger. FIDE said no to this idea.

Euwe lost his title to Alekhine. The AVRO tournament happened in 1938 anyway. Paul Keres won, with Reuben Fine in second place. Then World War II started in 1939, stopping all the discussions.

FIDE's First World Championship (1948)

Mikhail Botvinnik was the first World Champion under FIDE's rules.

When Alexander Alekhine passed away in 1946, there was no world champion. This created a confusing situation, with many different ideas on how to pick a new one. FIDE found it hard to organize talks because of money and travel problems right after World War II.

The Soviet Union had not joined FIDE, but they realized they needed to be part of these important discussions. So, in 1947, they sent a message apologizing for not sending representatives and asked to be included.

The final plan was similar to what FIDE and the Soviet Union suggested. The 1938 AVRO tournament was used as a guide for the 1948 Championship Tournament. This tournament brought together the best players in the world at that time. Two players from AVRO, Alekhine and José Raúl Capablanca, had passed away. FIDE decided the championship would go to the winner of a tournament where the other six AVRO players would compete.

These players were: Max Euwe (Netherlands), Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres, and Salo Flohr (Soviet Union), and Reuben Fine and Samuel Reshevsky (United States). However, FIDE allowed Vasily Smyslov to replace Flohr, and Fine dropped out to continue his studies. So, only five players competed. Botvinnik won easily and became the world champion, ending the period without a champion.

The plan for 1948 also set up a system for choosing challengers every three years:

Zonal Tournaments: Regional tournaments where players qualified for the next stage.
Interzonal Tournament: Top players from the Zonals competed here.
Candidates Tournament: The best players from the Interzonal, plus the loser of the previous title match, played to decide who would challenge the champion.
Championship Match: The winner of the Candidates played against the current world champion.

FIDE's Early System (1949–1963)

Vasily Smyslov (1957–1958)

Mikhail Tal (1960–1961)

Tigran Petrosian (1963–1969)

FIDE used this system for five championship cycles. The first two matches, in 1951 and 1954, ended in draws. So, Mikhail Botvinnik kept his title both times. In 1956, FIDE added a new rule: a defeated champion had the right to a rematch. FIDE also limited how many players from the same country could be in the Candidates Tournament.

Botvinnik lost to Vasily Smyslov in 1957 but won the rematch in 1958. He also lost to Mikhail Tal in 1960 but won the rematch in 1961. This meant Smyslov and Tal were champions for only one year each, but Botvinnik was champion for most of the time from 1948 to 1963. The rematch rule was removed for the 1963 cycle. Tigran Petrosian won the 1962 Candidates and then beat Botvinnik in 1963 to become world champion.

FIDE System (1963–1975)

Boris Spassky won the World Championship in 1969 and defended his title against Fischer in 1972.

Bobby Fischer ended 24 years of Soviet players dominating the World Championship in 1972.

After the 1962 Candidates, Bobby Fischer claimed that Soviet players were working together to stop non-Soviet players from winning. He said that some players agreed to draw their games to save energy for games against non-Soviet players. FIDE changed the Candidates Tournament format to stop this from happening. They replaced the round-robin tournament with a series of elimination matches.

Fischer refused to play in the 1966 cycle and left the 1969 cycle after an issue at a tournament. Both these Candidates cycles were won by Boris Spassky. Spassky lost the title match to Petrosian in 1966 but won and became world champion in 1969.

In the 1969–1972 cycle, Fischer caused more problems. He refused to play in a qualifying tournament. But FIDE President Max Euwe bent the rules to let Fischer play, believing it was important for chess. Fischer crushed all his opponents and earned the right to challenge the champion, Boris Spassky. After many disagreements, mainly about money, Fischer finally played and won the match.

A continuous line of FIDE champions existed from 1948 to 1972, with each champion beating the previous one. This ended when Anatoly Karpov won the right to challenge Fischer in 1975. Fischer didn't like the "best of 24 games" match format. He wanted the match to be won by the first player to win 10 games. He also wanted to remain champion if the score reached 9–9. FIDE disagreed with his demands and took away his title, making Karpov the new champion. Fischer still believed he was the world champion. He stopped playing chess in public until 1992, when he played an unofficial rematch against Spassky and won.

Karpov and Kasparov (1975–1993)

Anatoly Karpov became World Champion in 1975 and held the title until 1985. He was also the FIDE World Champion from 1993 to 1999.

Garry Kasparov beat Karpov to become the 13th World Champion. He was the undisputed champion from 1985 to 1993.

After becoming world champion by default, Anatoly Karpov proved he deserved the title by winning many tournaments. He defended his title twice against Viktor Korchnoi in 1978 and 1981. In the 1984 World Chess Championship, Karpov played against Garry Kasparov. Karpov kept his title after the match lasted over five months and ended with Karpov leading.

Karpov finally lost his title in 1985 to Kasparov. Kasparov won the title with a score of 13–11. The two played three more championships: in 1986 (Kasparov won), 1987 (a draw, so Kasparov kept the title), and 1990 (Kasparov won). In these five championships, Kasparov and Karpov played 144 games.

The Split Title (1993–2006)

In 1993, Nigel Short broke the dominance of Kasparov and Karpov by beating Karpov and then Jan Timman in the Candidates matches. This earned him the right to challenge Kasparov. However, before the match, Kasparov and Short complained about FIDE's handling of the prize money and other issues. They decided to leave FIDE and set up their own group, the Professional Chess Association (PCA).

In response, FIDE took away Kasparov's title and held its own championship match between Karpov and Timman. For the first time, there were two World Chess Champions: Kasparov defeated Short for the PCA title, and Karpov beat Timman for the FIDE title.

Alexander Khalifman, FIDE World Champion 1999–2000.

Ruslan Ponomariov, FIDE World Champion 2002–2004.

FIDE and the PCA each held championship cycles. Kasparov and Karpov both won their respective titles. Kasparov beat Viswanathan Anand in the PCA World Chess Championship 1995. Karpov defeated Gata Kamsky in the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996. Talks to reunite the titles in 1996–97 failed.

After 1995, the PCA closed down, and Kasparov had no group to choose his next challenger. He formed the World Chess Council, which set up a match between Alexei Shirov and Vladimir Kramnik. Shirov won, but talks for a Kasparov–Shirov match failed. Kasparov then arranged a match with Kramnik in late 2000. In a big surprise, Kramnik won the match without losing a single game. This championship was called the Braingames World Chess Championship, and Kramnik later called himself the Classical World Chess Champion.

Meanwhile, FIDE changed its system. They used a large knockout tournament where many players played short matches over a few weeks. Fast chess games were used to break ties. Some people felt this format didn't always find the best player. Kasparov refused to play in these events, and Kramnik also stopped after winning his title. Karpov defended his FIDE title in 1998 but then gave it up in protest in 1999. Alexander Khalifman won the FIDE World Championship in 1999, Anand in 2000, Ruslan Ponomariov in 2002, and Rustam Kasimdzhanov in 2004.

Rustam Kasimdzhanov, FIDE World Champion 2004–2005.

Veselin Topalov, FIDE World Champion 2005–2006.

By 2002, there were two champions, and Kasparov was still ranked number one. This caused a lot of confusion. In 2002, American grandmaster Yasser Seirawan helped create the "Prague Agreement" to bring the titles back together. It was agreed that Kasparov would play the FIDE champion, and the winner would play the winner of a Kramnik–Leko match for the unified title. However, it was hard to find money and organize these matches. The Kramnik–Leko match didn't happen until late 2004 (it was a draw, so Kramnik kept his title).

FIDE never managed to organize a Kasparov match. Kasparov's frustration led him to retire from chess in 2005, still ranked number one. Soon after, FIDE stopped the short knockout format. They announced the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005, a tournament with eight top players. Kramnik refused to play, insisting his title should be decided in a match. The tournament was won by Veselin Topalov. Talks then began for a Kramnik–Topalov match to unite the titles.

The Unified Title (Since 2006)

Kramnik Becomes Unified Champion (2006–2007)

The World Chess Championship 2006 match between Topalov and Kramnik happened in late 2006. After some arguments, Kramnik won. This made Kramnik the first undisputed World Chess Champion since Kasparov left FIDE in 1993. FIDE has managed this match and all championships since then.

Anand's Reign (2007–2013)

Vladimir Kramnik beat Kasparov in 2000 and became the undisputed world champion by beating Topalov in 2006.

Viswanathan Anand, who held the FIDE title from 2000 to 2002, won the unified title in 2007 and was the undisputed Champion until 2013.

Kramnik defended his title at the World Chess Championship 2007 in Mexico. This was an 8-player tournament, just like the 2005 FIDE championship. Viswanathan Anand won this tournament, becoming the World Chess Champion. Because Anand won in a tournament and not a match, some people questioned if his title was truly valid.

The next two championships had special rules because of the 2006 unification. Kramnik got the right to challenge for the title he lost in the 2007 tournament. Anand won this 2008 match. Then Topalov, who was left out of the 2007 championship, was placed directly into the Candidates final for the World Chess Championship 2010. He won the Candidates and played against Anand, who won the championship again.

The World Chess Championship 2012 had short knockout matches for the Candidates Tournament. Not everyone liked this format, and world number one Magnus Carlsen pulled out in protest. Boris Gelfand won the Candidates. Anand won the championship match again in tie-breaking fast games, making it his fourth straight world championship win.

Carlsen's Era (2013–2023)

Magnus Carlsen became World Champion after beating Anand in 2013. He defended his title four times and was champion until 2023.

Ding Liren became World Champion in 2023 after beating Ian Nepomniachtchi, because Carlsen chose not to defend his title. He was the champion until 2024.

Since 2013, the Candidates Tournament has been an eight-player tournament where everyone plays each other twice. The winner then plays a match against the champion for the title. Norwegian player Magnus Carlsen won the 2013 Candidates and then easily defeated Anand in the World Chess Championship 2013.

Starting with the 2014 championship, the World Championship has followed a 2-year cycle. Qualification for the Candidates happens in odd years, the Candidates tournament in early even years, and the World Championship match later in the even year. Carlsen successfully defended his title three times: against Anand in 2014, against Sergey Karjakin in 2016, and against Fabiano Caruana in 2018. The 2016 and 2018 defenses were decided by tie-break games (fast chess).

The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays, moving the next match from 2020 to 2021. Carlsen again successfully defended his title, beating Ian Nepomniachtchi in the World Chess Championship 2021.

Ding Liren's Short Reign (2023–2024)

Soon after the 2021 match, Carlsen said he would not defend his title again. FIDE confirmed this on July 20, 2022. Because Carlsen stepped down, the top two players from the Candidates Tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren, played for the title in the 2023 championship. Ding won in rapid tie-breaks, becoming the first World Chess Champion from China. FIDE called Ding the "17th World Champion," which means they now officially recognize the "Classical" line of champions during the split.

Gukesh Dommaraju (2024–Present)

Gukesh Dommaraju became the World Champion in 2024 after beating Ding Liren.

The most recent world championship was held in 2024. In this match, Ding Liren lost his title to the Indian player Gukesh Dommaraju. The match took place in Singapore. At just 18 years old, Gukesh became the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion ever. He won the title with 7½ points to Ding's 6½ points.

How the Championship Works

Before 1948, world championship matches were set up privately by the players. This meant players had to find money themselves, often from people who wanted to bet on them. In the early 1900s, this sometimes made it hard to arrange or delayed challenges for the title.

After the death of world champion Alexander Alekhine in 1946, the World Chess Championship 1948 was a special tournament to decide a new world champion.

Since 1948, the world championship has mostly followed a two or three-year plan with four main steps:

Zonal Tournaments: These are regional tournaments where players qualify for the next stage.
Candidates Qualification Tournaments: From 1948 to 1993, this was mainly the Interzonal tournament. Since 2005, the Chess World Cup has largely replaced the Interzonal. Other events like the FIDE Grand Prix and Grand Swiss tournament have also been added. Some players also qualify directly for the Candidates based on their high rating or previous results.
The Candidates Tournament: This tournament chooses who will challenge the champion. Over the years, it has changed in size and format. Since the 2013 cycle, it has always been an eight-player tournament where everyone plays each other twice.
The Championship Match: This is the final match between the current champion and the challenger.

There have been a few times when this system changed:

In 1957 and 1960, the champion had the right to a rematch if they lost. This led to the 1958 and 1961 matches. There were also one-off rematches in 1986 and 2008.
The 1975 world championship was not held because the champion, Fischer, refused to defend his title. His challenger, Karpov, became champion by default.
During the split title period (1993-2006), there were many changes. FIDE used a knockout tournament from 1998 to 2004, and an eight-player tournament in 2005.
A special match to reunite the world championship was held in 2006.
The 2007 world championship was decided by an eight-player tournament instead of a match.
The 2023 world championship was played between the top two finishers of the Candidates, because the champion, Carlsen, chose not to defend his title.

World Champions

Official World Champions (1886–Present)

#	Name	Country	Years
1	Wilhelm Steinitz	Austria-Hungary United States	1886–1894
2	Emanuel Lasker	Germany German Republic	1894–1920
3	José Raúl Capablanca	Cuba	1920–1927
4	Alexander Alekhine	France	1927–1935
5	Max Euwe	Netherlands	1935–1937
(4)	Alexander Alekhine	France	1937–1946 posthumous Champion till 1948
No Champion
6	Mikhail Botvinnik	Soviet Union	1948–1957
7	Vasily Smyslov		1957–1958
(6)	Mikhail Botvinnik		1958–1960
8	Mikhail Tal		1960–1961
(6)	Mikhail Botvinnik		1961–1963
9	Tigran Petrosian		1963–1969
10	Boris Spassky		1969–1972
11	Bobby Fischer	United States	1972–1975
12	Anatoly Karpov	Soviet Union	1975–1985
13	Garry Kasparov	Soviet Union	1985–1993
(12)	Anatoly Karpov	Russia	1993–1999
14	Alexander Khalifman	Russia	1999–2000
15	Viswanathan Anand	India	2000–2002
16	Ruslan Ponomariov	Ukraine	2002–2004
17	Rustam Kasimdzhanov	Uzbekistan	2004–2005
18	Veselin Topalov	Bulgaria	2005–2006
19	Vladimir Kramnik	Russia	2006–2007
(15)	Viswanathan Anand	India	2007–2013
20	Magnus Carlsen	Norway	2013–2023
21	Ding Liren	China	2023–2024
22	Gukesh Dommaraju	India	2024–present

Unofficial World Champions (1975–Present)

#	Name	Country	Years
1	Bobby Fischer	USA	1975–2008
2	Garry Kasparov	Russia	1993–2000
3	Alexei Shirov	Spain	1998–present
4	Vladimir Kramnik	Russia	2000–2006

World Champions by Number of Title Match Victories

This table shows the world champions based on how many championship matches they won. A successful defense of the title counts as a win. The table is a bit complex because of the split between official and unofficial titles after 1975.

Champion	Number of wins			Years as
Champion	Total	Official	Unofficial	Champion	Official Champion
Emanuel Lasker	6	6	0	26	26
Garry Kasparov	6	4	2	15	8
Anatoly Karpov	6	6	0	16	16
Mikhail Botvinnik	5	5	0	13	13
Magnus Carlsen	5	5	0	10	10
Viswanathan Anand	5	5	0	8	8
Alexander Alekhine	4	4	0	19	19
Wilhelm Steinitz	4	4	0	8	8
Vladimir Kramnik	3	1	2	7	1
Tigran Petrosian	2	2	0	6	6
José Raúl Capablanca	1	1	0	7	7
Boris Spassky	1	1	0	3	3
Bobby Fischer	2	1	1	36	3
Max Euwe	1	1	0	2	2
Vasily Smyslov	1	1	0	1	1
Mikhail Tal	1	1	0	1	1
Ding Liren	1	1	0	1	1
Gukesh Dommaraju	1	1	0	0	0
Ruslan Ponomariov	1	1	0	2	2
Alexander Khalifman	1	1	0	1	1
Rustam Kasimdzhanov	1	1	0	1	1
Veselin Topalov	1	1	0	1	1
Alexei Shirov	1	0	1	26	0